49ers training camp: 4 starting positions up for grabs

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Trey Sermon #28 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

49ers Position No. 2: Running Back

The Niners are also going to have to make some tough decisions at running back where five players are essentially competing for four roster spots.

Two of them, Raheem Mostert and Ohio State rookie Trey Sermon, are all but guaranteed spots, however, yet the pecking order between these two is very much in question.

Mostert, the 29-year-old veteran who’s also a free agent in 2022, might have the upper hand based on his prior accolades, but he also missed time during organized team activities with a knee injury, leading to Sermon getting plenty of first-team reps.

On top of that, Sermon is looking like he’ll be the closest thing to a true bell-cow running back Kyle Shanahan has had since taking over head-coaching duties back in 2017, and one might guess San Francisco is grooming Sermon to be RB1 in the coming years.

It might not matter too much, at least for this position, since Shanahan typically revolves and rotates his tailbacks anyway, and the player who starts the game doesn’t always wind up seeing the lion’s share of carries.

In terms of landing that starter’s job on the depth chart, though, it’s certainly not automatic Mostert winds up getting the call here.